#UOregon at SXSW (with your vote!)

Not one, not two, not even three… but FOUR great panels are up for your vote on the South by Southwest Interactive Panel Picker for the 2012 festival. Click on the “vote for my idea” button at the end of each description to vote. You’ll have to register on the SXSW site, but it takes just a minute. Thanks!

1. Just Because It’s Legal, Doesn’t Make it Right

Me, along with Kami Huyse, Todd Defren, Joe Chernov and Arik Hansen.

You never know who you are dealing with online. Agencies, evangelists and free agents are everywhere you turn, but sometimes you have no idea that a person has been paid in money or perks to represent a brand. The FTC stepped in to make some rules, but there is still plenty of gray area. Is it okay to skirt full transparency? Is full transparency even possible with Facebook Likes, Google +1s and new platforms like Quora? As a marketer, how far is too far? This panel will explore the ins and outs of online promotion and what we are required to do, as well as the ethics around the gray zones

***

2. Change Demands Acts of Courage

What must we do to flourish during times of change and upheaval? Simply said, we must act with courage. Our mission: bring compelling leadership from education, innovation, technology and brand thinking together for a discussion on courageous acts committed in the name of transformation. Let’s talk about the economy, about realities in education and business, about remaining optimistic and visionary during wicked times. Not your normal motivational chat. And not your normal panel: four amazing thinkers prepared to deliver the roadmap for where we must go and how we act along the way.

***

3. Where Goes the Neighborhood: Local Meets Global

Kim Sheehan with Daniel Greene, Jeremiah McPherson and Luke Kintigh

The Future of Interactive Marketing is Near: in 2011, 40% of marketers have increased geographically targeted advertising. For small businesses this investment has stronger returns and higher response rates than other marketing channels due to mobile migration. In the next four years, an estimated 70% of mobile ads will be local. The democratization of the digital landscape allows the local business an opportunity to compete with global brands. However, many local marketers have yet to capitalize on digital tactics (especially mobile marketing) to build brand awareness. Local businesses find coupon and daily-deal programs unprofitable. They have problems converting check-ins to long-term success. And, global brands ignore the local market, missing opportunities to create brand loyalists at a grassroots level. This session will explore what Local and Global can learn from each other to better engage with their ‘ambassadors’ using digital media. We will focus on bringing successful global tactics to the local level. AND, we will challenge global marketers to think local as a means to better connect with target audiences at a neighborhood level.

***

4. Communicating Across Lines of Difference

Rita Radostitz with Mia Tuan

As the world around us becomes increasingly diverse, the ability to communication across salient social identities (i.e., race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) becomes critical. In this session, Dr. Mia Tuan, a sociologist and Rita Radostitz, a communications director, will talk about how they strive to successfully communicate with audiences that may or may not share their social identities. The session will discuss why it is an essential skill today to be an effective multicultural communicator, and the role that diversity plays in developing critical thinking. We will also talk about the ways we have successfully navigated building trust with diverse colleagues and audiences as well as the costs of successfully doing so.

***

I know we all hope you’ll take a minute to vote for us! And if you have a panel you’d like us to know about, leave it in the comments. See you in Austin!